Various problems exist for utilizing collected television set top box (“STB”) data for the analysis of television viewing behavior, such as problems related to the precision or the reliability of the data. Different collection processes and steps utilized by different television service providers can introduce different types of errors in the collected television viewing data, (e.g., data may be lost, duplicated, corrupted, etc.). Sources of television viewing data include data collected from a group of STBs which are transmitted to network nodes, such as regional head ends of a cable television service provider. Some nodes, in turn, send data along to other parent nodes up a hierarchy of nodes, and the data is processed along the way. At some point up the hierarchy of nodes, a television service provider collects data for its entire television viewing footprint.
The information collection process differs depending on which television distribution network is utilized by the television service provider. For example, where television service providers utilize a digital broadcast satellite system or a cable system, third parties can then collect and combine television viewing data from multiple television service providers. The number of subscribers for a television service provider can be as high as tens of millions. Each of these different steps provides an opportunity for data corruption, accidental data duplication, or data loss, such as dropped data, known as “data drops”. Errors that occur higher up in the collection hierarchy can cause particularly severe problems with regard to the accuracy of the data.
A need exists for a system that overcomes the foregoing problems. Overall, the examples herein of prior or related systems and their associated limitations are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of existing or prior systems will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the following Detailed Description.